How Loyola inspired an epic NCAA hoax: Inside Maguire University's party at the Final Four

SAN ANTONIO — The prank would be unthinkable to even try in 2018 — and almost certainly straight-up impossible to complete.

“We couldn’t get away with this today,” Maguire University Chancellor Art Duffy says to a crowd of 30 Maguire “students” at a Mexican restaurant overlooking San Antonio’s Riverwalk. Dos Equis in hand, Duffy laughs. He knows he’s right.

Maguire University isn’t a real school. It doesn’t exist in the traditional sense. There is no campus. There are no professors. There are no athletic venues. The enrollment consists of over a hundred fans, ranging from ages 17 to 90. Class is only in session for the Final Four.

“I’m a double major in inebriation,” one student boasts.

If you walked by the group, it would almost resemble a family reunion. Or a large group of old friends picking up right where they left off. They’re bound together by that unthinkable prank: Creating a fake university for the purpose of getting free Final Four tickets and then successfully tricking the NCAA.

The school may be fake, but the Maguire logo is prevalent — even stamped on the Riverwalk’s stone walkway.

Andrew Joseph/USA TODAY Sports

John Carey, a Hall of Fame high school coach from New York, is wearing a 50th anniversary Maguire jacket from the 2012 trip to New Orleans. He’s the school’s “IT director” because he still has a flip phone. Appropriately Irish-colored Maguire University pins (with clovers) are scattered on the table. Some students are wearing their official Maguire drinking jerseys.

They’re taking the “We Play Hurt” Maguire motto to heart.

It’s the first night of the weekend Maguire students look forward to all year — “The Final Five” — their annual trip to the Final Four. This year is especially meaningful. The Loyola-Chicago Ramblers are in the Final Four for the first time since Maguire’s inaugural trip in 1963. The sentiments can wait for now. Duffy is standing at the head of the table, waiting to continue his speech.

What else should I expect of a weekend with college basketball’s most notorious fake school? The camaraderie has kept Maguire going strong for nearly six decades.

This year’s trip is different because the Ramblers are here again. Saturday night, when the Ramblers can’t keep up with Michigan, ends with plenty of apple cider moonshine. Because the Jollymen of Maguire always live up to their name.

* * *

Photo courtesy of Maguire University

For two seasons, Maguire was real — literally, in an official capacity. From 1972-74, Maguire University tricked the NCAA into listing the school in the National Directory of College Athletics and acquired the free Final Four tickets sent to member institutions.

The whole thing had been a decade in the making by that point, though. Like many of the brilliant ideas in human history, it took a few beers and late-night bar chatter to get started.

See, the Maguire University name didn’t come out of thin air. There was an old pub in the Chicago suburb of Forest Park called Maguire’s that attracted a regular clientele of basketball coaches and sportswriters.

Loyola assistant basketball coach Bill Shay was among those regulars. With tickets so easy to come by back then, he brought a group from the bar to the 1963 title game in Louisville. They called themselves “Maguire University.” From that point on, Maguire was hooked. The Maguire group wanted to make it an annual trip regardless of the Ramblers’ presence.

“Shay thought it wasn’t for a purpose, it was supposed to be just for a nice weekend to watch the games,” says the lone surviving original member, Bob Luksta, 90.

What was a fun weekend trip with friends became extraordinary when then-Fenwick High School coach Leonard Tyrrell showed up to the bar with an NCAA application form. Several beers in, the group filled the form out.

It was a joke. What was the worst that could happen?

To keep the school’s profile under the radar, the group listed the enrollment at 1,600 with a fieldhouse capacity of 1,800. The basketball team’s record was a modest 15-10. The key officials were all regulars at the bar. They listed the president as Dr. Mel Connolly. The athletic director was Phil Farrell. Tyrrell was the football coach.

All of this was a total hoax, but something went Maguire’s way because the NCAA accepted the application and listed the school.

The legend was born.

* * *

Come Final Four weekend, Maguire University doesn’t take a break. The action is non-stop.

A walk down a flight of stairs to the Riverwalk level of the Drury Plaza Hotel will bring you to the center of it all: The Maguire University headquarters.

The Jollymen have converted a hotel ballroom into the gathering place for Maguire’s weekend festivities. And it’s tough to miss. Maguire’s logo is displayed in front of the door, and a fully stocked bar greets guests immediately upon entering. It’s the most popular spot in a ballroom that has been decorated with Maguire insignia, photos from past trips and a projection screen for Saturday’s watch party.

Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

Loyola’s stunning run to San Antonio is an exciting time for longtime Maguire members. The group — still heavily rooted in Chicago — remembers the old friends who have passed before seeing the Ramblers’ return to college basketball’s preeminent weekend.

“Bill Jauss would have loved this with Loyola still being in there,” Luksta said of the former Chicago Tribune sportswriter who actually broke the story of Maguire’s hoax in 1974.

Yet, this weekend might mean the most to one of Maguire’s youngest members.

Art Duffy’s nephew, John, is a sophomore at Loyola-Chicago. He’s a freshman at Maguire, making his first trip to the Final Four. His grandfather was among the original members who concocted the Maguire prank at the bar. His parents have been on past trips and shared stories of their experiences.

John’s turn couldn’t have come at a better time. His first trip with this Loyola-tied fictitious school is for Loyola’s return to the Final Four after a 55-year hiatus. It was too good to pass up. When Loyola topped Kansas State in the Elite Eight, Art’s partner, Maguire treasurer Meg Comer, immediately looked to get John to San Antonio.

“You don’t go to Loyola thinking it was going to be a sports school,” John says. “Nobody thinks that. Once we made it this far, everybody’s spirits just rose. I never would have thought I would be going to the Final Four to see Loyola play.”

John touched down in Texas late Thursday night but just early enough to meet up with his uncle at an after-party on the Riverwalk.

At 2 p.m. on Friday, the Maguire headquarters is subdued ahead of the eventual rowdiness to come. It’s a time for Jollymen to introduce themselves to new members — Art expects a freshmen class of 20 for this trip (just shy of the record of 22). In all, Maguire has around 120 students making the trip to San Antonio.

For John, it’s a time to see his uncle in action. Art plays the role of host and organizer and seemingly doesn’t get a break. That’s the burden of being the esteemed Maguire chancellor. If only he had signed up for it.

“I had no choice,” Art says. “The guy retired after 40 years in 2003, and nobody wanted to do it. I was single at the time, and all these old guys at the time told me that if I took it over, they would all help me. It was the biggest lie in the world. I’ll retire after 20 years — 2022 will be my last year.”

It really is a full-time undertaking. Maguire’s travel director, Katie Flanagan Feldheim, is already scouting out a hotel for next year’s Final Four in Minneapolis.

They’re dreading the Minnesota weather — especially when it’s 75 and sunny in San Antonio — but the people will keep the Maguire students coming back. Every member has their own story of Maguire folklore.

And they love to take a jab at the NCAA whenever possible. Duffy says the organization still hasn’t gotten over the prank all these decades later.

“M&M’s was a sponsor, and they wanted to come in and do a video. They did all this video of Maguire for an M&M commercial because it was one of those back-scene stories. And they brought it to the NCAA, and they were like, ‘We’re not talking to them. Take that out.’

“They know about us but won’t acknowledge us,” Duffy says.

The NCAA did not respond to For The Win’s request for comment about Maguire University.

Duffy goes on. He recalls when Maguire booked the Columbia Club in downtown Indianapolis for an event before the NCAA could. When the NCAA called to book the venue, it was denied because Maguire had secured it first.

“They were pissed. We’re still coming back to haunt them,” Duffy says, laughing.

Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

* * *

The only nervous energy in the room ahead of tipoff is over the audio. The sound won’t come on over the speaker system at the Maguire headquarters.

Hotel staff is on the scene and fixes the sound just minutes before the game starts to a round of applause. But really, the packed room of 60 Maguire students is busy revisiting the craziness that was their Saturday in San Antonio.

Adam — or just “Tucci” — is ready to take Game 1 to a new level. He brings over a two-liter Perrier bottle. It’s not filled with sparkling water. No chance. He is breaking out the apple cider moonshine just in time for the Ramblers’ historic Final Four return.

Tucci wears a shooting sleeve on his right arm with a padded elbow for cushioning when he inevitably rests his arm on a bar.

“I got a bionic elbow,” Tucci says with a smile.

“More like a bionic liver,” Art Neff — not to be confused with Art Duffy — yells back.

Then Tucci pours everyone at the table a cup of moonshine.

Everyone at the Maguire headquarters is there for a different reason. The group’s ties to Loyola have had those with no personal connection to the school pick up the Ramblers. This year’s T-shirt is appropriately printed in Loyola colors.

A look around the room, and it’s easy to notice that the age groups gravitate towards one another. Carey, who is in his 60s, has a table closest to the screen with other former coaches and athletic directors who wished to remain anonymous. The Maguire Hall of Famers, a few pushing 80, are seated even closer.

They’re at the headquarters specifically for the game and want the best view.

Over the past 10 years, Maguire has turned its focus to raising money for charity as members have aged and passed away — many from cancer. Duffy, for example, raised enough money to have Southern Illinois wear “MaguireU” on the back of its “Black Out Cancer” football jerseys. Maguire also holds an annual Burger Bash to raise money for Operation Support the Troops.

It’s a party for a purpose, and there’s no shortage of either.

Jenni Naclerio is sitting next to Tucci and teaching him about Snapchat. This is the “fun table,” as Neff puts it. Neff goes on to reveal to Tucci that he was behind the “IOU $20 – Tucci” note he put into the Maguire Scholarship Fund jar during last year’s Phoenix Final Four.

“That was you,” Tucci shouts at Neff, showing him a text message from Duffy that called him out for the IOU note. “I was so confused.”

Tucci takes a sip of moonshine and passes a cup over to Naclerio.

Naclerio serves as Maguire’s social media director, which has consisted of posting all their adventures in San Antonio on Snapchat and Instagram to get the word out about Maguire. She too looks around the room and sees the predominately older, male crowd. She loves the group, but she wants to see Maguire staying strong for years to come.

“The history is so great,” Naclerio said. “It’s dated back over 50 years. The only way to keep it going is to attract younger members.”

Right now, Maguire’s Instagram is at 151 followers. Naclerio keeps the page active and wants to see the number rise. They’ve picked up about 50 new followers in the two days on the Riverwalk.

But don’t let the older generation of Maguire members fool you, there’s plenty of spirit within the group.

After Loyola gets called for offensive basket interference in the first half, Carey stands up to shout, “Don’t touch that!” The basketball coach in him can’t be put aside.

When Loyola snaps its seven-minute field goal drought to go on a first-half run, the room erupts in a “Let’s Go Ramblers” chant.

The Ramblers go ahead by four points with 3:40 left in the first and close out the half on a furious run to take a 29-22 lead into halftime. The mood in the room has changed for the better.

“It’s going to be a great night,” Tucci says, tapping the elbow pad on his orange shooting sleeve.

Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

* * *

A mile east of the Maguire headquarters, the rest of the group is scattered amongst the 68,257 fans at the Alamodome.

John, Art and Meg are seated together in Section 225, and with the second half just getting started, it’s all smiles for John, who is sporting his own Gryffindor-esque Loyola scarf.

“Seeing the school pride is crazy,” John says as he looks towards the packed section of maroon and gold. “I never thought I’d see that kind of support.”

For Maguire students, it’s an entirely different experience inside the Final Four venue from the watch party at the Drury. Maguire doesn’t provide a block of tickets, so everyone is responsible for their own admission into the game, if they want to go.

Andrew Joseph/USA TODAY Sports

Many stay back for the party, but the Ramblers have inspired what Art estimates to be 60 Maguire students to watch from the Alamodome. The near-perfect weather helps too.

“If it was raining, a lot would stay at the bar,” Art says.

The second half gets underway and the anxiety comes back with every Michigan bucket.

“I’m a little nervous,” John admits. He watches quietly, swaying in his seat.

Art laughs because he knows as nervous as John is, he expects Meg, a Villanova grad, to be even worse when the Wildcats take the floor for Game 2. Art lifts the bottom of his Loyola-themed Maguire shirt to show that he has a Villanova shirt on underneath.

He’s going to change for Game 2 and will leave early to catch the catered BBQ back at the watch party. He also wants to leave Meg with her ideal Villanova experience.

“Meg prefers to watch Villanova games alone,” Art says. “When people are chatting, it’s distracting and she can’t miss a second.”

Now the Loyola turnovers are starting — five straight of them. The fifth turnover has John in disbelief. He grabs his hair out of frustration as Michigan again turns another lost Loyola possession into a basket.

Twenty-two points off 17 turnovers will do that.

When the game ends, it’s a 69-57 Michigan win. The Cinderella run is over. There would be no more Sister Jean magic come Monday. John stands up and smiles, holding back his disappointment. “Hail to the Victors” echoes around the Alamodome for what had to be the 50th time in 30 minutes.

“I’m so tired of hearing that damned ‘Hail to the Victors,'” Art says. He’s not alone.

Through John’s disappointment, there’s plenty of perspective. He wanted his school to win, and sports has the unrelenting ability to instantly raise expectations. Still, John never thought his first Maguire trip would be to see Loyola in the Final Four. He says he’ll leave San Antonio on Tuesday proud of what his school had accomplished.

Most of all: He’s already looking forward to his next Maguire experience.

“I will definitely be back for my sophomore year at Maguire,” John says.

Art waits no time to switch to his gray Villanova shirt, and he spots more Maguire students in the concourse.

“What a ride,” he says to greet them.

It really was.

Maguire will be back at the Final Four in Minneapolis next year. The Jollymen will make the trip to Atlanta in 2020. There’s no end in sight. But Art can’t see another trip matching the personal connection that this weekend in San Antonio has brought to his Maguire family.

How Loyola inspired an epic NCAA hoax: Inside Maguire University's party at the Final Four

Meet the fake university that fooled the NCAA.

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